Photo by Cody Tomer The Second All-Valley Golf team recognizes the top performers in the Ohio Valley. The team joined together at the Wheeling Park Golf Course to be recognized. Kneeling, from left, are: Ryan Payne (Wheeling Park), Ryan Bilby (Brooke), Dorothy Romanek (Wheeling Park) and Emily Holzopfel (Buckeye Local). Standing: Jacob Jeffries (St. Clairsville), Brendan Vucelich (St. Clairsville), Trey Blain (Magnolia) J.C. Maxwell (Wheeling Central) and Derrick Harrison (Wheeling Central).

There were plenty of highlights from the 2018 golf season and there is no better way to celebrate those moments than with the Second All-Valley Golf Team. This year’s squad includes a state champion, OVAC co-champions and a pair of returning sophomores making their second straight appearance on the team.

A trio of talented girls also make the list for the first time after turning in outstanding seasons with one taking second place in the Inaugural W.Va. State Tournament.

Captain

Derrick Harrison

Senior, Wheeling Central

Derrick Harrison ended his prep career in a way that every student athlete dreams of doing it.

The Wheeling Central senior birdied the 18th hole of the state tournament, a shot that gave him a one-stroke victory, a state title, a team state title and a memory that will last a lifetime.

As Harrison walked off the course, not realizing what he had just accomplished, his head coach Jim Mortakis met him and gave him the news in a moment that neither will soon forget.

“Coach Mortakis has stuck with me for the past four years as a coach,” Harrison said. “He got emotional at that point when he told me that I won and we won as a team.

“I almost started crying, too, when he gave me a hug and told me congratulations. There were just a lot of emotions for both of us.”

The match-winning putt gave Harrison a 152 in the two-day tournament and the honor of captain of the All-Valley Team.

Since Harrison captured the state title, he has been living the life of a celebrity.

“It’s been great since we won,” Harrison said. “It seems like people kind of respect me a little more because of what I’ve done. To get recognized by people in the community and not just Central fans feels really good.

“Now, to be named captain of this team feels great, too.”

There is a championship winning tradition at Wheeling Central, but the golf team had not won the state title since 2006, until this year’s squad went on an incredible run for the ages.

“To finally bring one back to Central and to be one of three individual medalists from Central to win the individual title, it’s amazing,” Harrison said.

The Maroon Knights also chalked up an OVAC title and Harrison picked up medalist honors there, as well, with a score of 73.

Jacob Jeffries

Senior, St. Clairsville

There isn’t much that Jacob Jeffries hasn’t accomplished this season for the Red Devils.

He helped lead St. Clairsville to an OVAC 4A Championship by earning co-medalist honors with his teammate and classmate Brendan Vucelich, both with cards of 76.

The two teammates finished the tournament deadlocked but refused to play an extra playoff hole to decide the outcome. Instead, they opted to be crowned co-champs and share the title.

“It’s been great to go through my high school career with Brendan,” Jeffries said. “Once we tied, we knew that we were never going to play against each other in a playoff.

“We’re best friends and we work together and play together every day.”

Jeffries was also the Buckeye 8 champion and garnered a 78 in the district tournament. He finished the campaign with a nine-hole average of 38.

As a team, St. C. came just two strokes of earning a spot in the state tournament under first-year coach Caden Myers.

“We had a really great season,” Jeffries said. “We had two transfers come up from Lincoln County and they were great additions to the team and we almost made it to states.

“This was also Coach Myers’ first year coaching and he is a really good coach. He is young and he really relates to us. It was a lot of fun playing for him.”

Ryan Payne

Senior, Wheeling Park

Cool, calm and collected.

Those words describe Ryan Payne perfectly.

The Park senior never breaks under the pressure and it showed on the biggest stage.

Payne was excellent in the state tournament as he earned all-state honors and carded a 151 to finish his prep golf career in style.

He also turned in an 81 to secure a spot on the All-OVAC team and help push Wheeling Park to its second straight OVAC title.

“I have just improved over the last four years,” Payne said. “As a freshman, I probably got a little too nervous and I let myself get rattled too much. So, I just tried to work on calming my nerves. If I have a bad hole, I move on and take it one shot at a time and keep playing.”

Payne provided leadership to a young Patriots team, which lifted them to a regional championship, where Payne was co-medalist with a mark of 80.

“We were close to the lead in every tournament and that helped put pressure on every player to do well,” Payne said. “We knew that we had to play for the team and to make sure the team was toward the top of the leaderboard.”

Brendan Vucelich

Senior, St. Clairsville

With an OVAC co-title and a sectional championship to his name, Brendan Vucelich finds himself on the All-Valley team for the second consecutive year.

He was also right behind teammate Jacob Jeffries in the Buckeye 8 Tournament, securing runner-up honors.

Vucelich was a crucial part of the Red Devils’ capturing team titles at the OVAC, OVGL, Buckeye 8 and sectional tournaments.

“Winning OVACs, the OVGL, Buckeye 8 and sectional tournaments as a team was a great way to go out,” Vucelich said. “I played well individually and we played great as a team.

“We never won OVACs before at St. Clairsville and to win as a team and with Jacob, that was something else. It took us four years to get to that stage to even have a chance and we wanted to go out the best way possible. That was the best way and we’ll remember that forever.”

The senior finished his outstanding career at St. Clairsville with a nine-hole average of 38.

Myers made a lasting impact on Vucelich as well, especially in their preparation for the sectional tournament.

“Coach Myers played golf at St. Clairsville and went to states, so he knew what we needed to do to get there. Unfortunately, we missed it by two strokes but we had a great chance and we had a great coach.

“To prepare for sectionals, he knew it was going to be soaked after the rain so we went out when the course was soaked and practiced that way.”

Payne Johnson

Junior, Barnesville

Coming into the season, there were big expectations for Barnesville’s Payne Johnson.

The junior delivered with OVAC 3A medalist honors, leading the Shamrocks to a team title, as well.

“Payne led us to our first OVAC Championship since 1983,” Barnesville coach Jerry Robinson said. “I can’t say enough for the leadership that he showed this year and his will to win. He is a true leader by the way he approached his junior year. He pushed all of the other kids on the team to do better.”

Johnson came just a few strokes shy of making it to the state tournament but with a work ethic like his, he will be determined to reach the pinnacle in his senior year.

“He just missed qualifying for the state tournament,” Robinson said. “He is driven to get back there next year.

“Now he knows what it takes to get to that level. He has been a district qualifier for three years in a row and he keeps getting closer.”

Johnson led the team with a nine-hole average of 40.

“Payne was our team medalist,” Robinson said. “He has such a good swing, he keeps it in play and rarely has a bad shot up to the greens.”

Trey Blain

Junior, Magnolia

Trey Blain shot a 153 at the state tournament, one stroke shy of a state championship in his junior season. Now, the leader of the Blue Eagles will return for his senior campaign as the favorite to take home state medalist honors.

“I was pretty happy with how I played all season,” Blain said. “It kind of stung losing by just one stroke at states but other than that it was a pretty good year.

“I just need to work on my short game. I have to get my wedges dialed in and make some more putts and I should be good to go for next year.”

Blain also turned in runner-up honors at the OVAC Tournament with a card of 74. He is also a leader on the team and is willing to help any other players to improve their games.

“Coach Tallman always says that I’m his assistant coach,” Blain said with a laugh. “He kind of lets me do my own thing and I try to help the others whenever I get the opportunity.”

What makes Blain such a tough competitor is that he never changes the way he plays the game.

“I thought I played pretty consistent this year,” Blain said. “I didn’t have to tweak my swing a lot and I was able to shoot some really decent rounds.”

J.C. Maxwell

Sophomore, Wheeling Central

J.C. Maxwell is becoming a staple for the All-Valley Golf team. This is his second straight appearance on the team and with two more seasons to play, there is no reason to think he won’t be back for more.

Maxwell earned all-state honors for the second straight year with a mark of 168 in the two-day tournament, to help catapult the Maroon Knights to a state championship.

Maxwell also shot a 76 at the OVAC Tournament to earn runner-up and also help Central claim the title.

“The last couple of weeks I really put some thought into it and realized how special our season was,” Maxwell said. “Winning OVACs and states is everything that we wanted to do this year. It’s really special.

“Earning all-state is something I really wanted to do after getting it last year. I really put my mind to it. I expected to do it and I expect to do it for the next two years, as well.”

Improving on what was already a stellar start to his high school career could be a tough challenge but Maxwell is already focusing on the future.

“I really need to get better at all of my shots,” he said. “I just want to make everything more consistent for next year.”

Ryan Bilby

Sophomore, Brooke

It wasn’t exactly a storybook ending to the season for Bilby but collectively, it was a tremendous campaign put together by the young Bruin.

The sophomore shot the lights out at the OVAC Championship, tallying a 73 and earning match medalist honors.

Bilby was on a collision course to win a state championship but he stumbled over several holes in the regional match, causing him to miss states completely, but it only made him hungrier for next year.

“I was so mad and frustrated about how this year ended,” Bilby said. “I knew I should have been down there contending to win but I had a bad round of golf and there is nothing I can do about it.

“I’m going to get in the gym a lot this offseason and do some indoor hitting and just work on my swing for next year.”

Bilby shot under 80 in nearly every round of the campaign and is making an appearance on the All-Valley team for the second time in a row.

“Ultimately, it was a much better season than last year,” Bilby said. “I was playing good golf all the way to regionals and I had a good overall year.

“I won OVACs, I won the TRAC and I didn’t win those last year, so I am happy about that.”

GIRLS

Dorothy Romanek

Senior, Wheeling Park

There might not be a player on the All-Valley squad that enjoys the game as much as Romanek. She walked on to the 18th hole of the first West Virginia Girls’ Golf Championship with a smile on her face and the lead. It didn’t go her way in the end but it’s a moment that she will never forget.

“It was awesome to play in the first girls’ tournament,” Romanek said. “I was just really happy to be a part of it.”

Romanek finished the tournament at the Mingo Bottom Golf Club with a 77, good enough to earn her state runner-up honors. But not only could she hang at the top of the girls’ leaderboard, she was also a threat to win the boys’ regional title, carding an 82, two shots behind the leaders.

“I started the season off a little rough,” Romanek said. “But by the end of the year, my game was more of where I wanted it to be.”

Romanek accounted for an 88 at the OVAC match, to help the Patriots reel off a second consecutive title.

Encouraging her every step of the way was her coach Don Headley, who was always first to share a laugh and some words of wisdom on the course.

“He is a great guy,” Romanek said of Headley. “He is a great coach, too and has helped us all out the best that he could.”

Emily Holzopfel

Senior, Buckeye Local

Buckeye Local’s Emily Holzopfel was victorious on the course and displayed a humble attitude in doing so, crediting her teammates and coaches for her impressive campaign.

She earned medalist or co-medalist honors in six matches and was a district qualifier in the female event but fell just short of the state tournament, with a card of 79.

“I think the whole team had a good season,” Holzopfel said. “Some days we struggled more than others but overall we really pulled together and got some ‘W’s.

“It was great to make it to districts and I was happy with my score there, even though I didn’t make it to states. I feel pretty good with ending my season on a good note.”

Holzopfel turned in a nine-hole average of 43.5 and says she couldn’t have done it alone.

“All of my coaches and my trainer in Moundsville gave me little details here and there and I just kind of put it all together. I just relaxed and played my game.

“I’ve definitely improved in my putting and in chipping, too. Just all of my short game.”

Sierra Knowlton

Senior, River

Four years ago, the River golf program was struggling just to have a team. Now it is thriving and in large part due to the effort of Sierra Knowlton.

The senior has helped influence girls to join the team over the years and has paved the way for the future of the girls’ team at River.

“The girls’ program here didn’t have a heartbeat until her freshman year,” River coach Justin Fetty said. “She has brought awareness to girls golf here. Our numbers have increased every year with her here.

“We already have a team set up for next year and she was a big building block for that.”

Knowlton ended her career with the Pilots in style, smashing four school records.

She set new highs in nine-hole average (40.9), birdies (14), pars (66) and matches won with eight.

“She kind of put everything together this year,” Fetty said. “I’ve been telling her since she was a freshman that she had the skill for a season like this.

“Her nine-hole average even ranks seventh in boys history at this school.”

Knowlton finished third at the district tournament and was just four shots shy of reaching the girls’ state tournament.

“At districts, she played the best round I’ve ever seen,” Fetty said. “She really turned it up and put it all together.

“Her consistency sets her apart. She is the most consistent player I’ve ever coached as far as scoring goes.”

The future is bright for Knowlton, who could have a chance to continue her career in college.

“She has been talking to three or four schools,” Fetty said. “She started taking visits when the season ended but she hasn’t decided on what she is going to do yet.”